Conventionally, a serial link type force sense providing device (refer to Patent Document 1) and a parallel link type force sense providing device (refer to Patent Document 2) have been proposed as force sense providing devices, which provide a sense of resistance and a sense of weight to a hand or a point on a finger when touching a virtual object in a virtual space. Although the force sense providing device provides a force sense to a single position, it is difficult to provide a force sense to a plurality of fingertips of a person.
In contrast, devices disclosed in Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Documents 1 to 4 have been proposed as force sense providing devices, which provide a force sense to a plurality of the fingertips of the person.
In the device disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, two serial link type force sense providing devices are provided and configured to provide a force sense to two of the fingertips. Further, in the device disclosed in Non-Patent Document 2, three serial link type force sense providing devices are provided and configured to provide the force sense to three of the fingertips.
However, in the devices of a type in which a plurality of force sense providing devices are provided, there is a problem that an operational space becomes extremely narrow. It is difficult to provide three or more force sense providing devices due to interference among the force sense providing devices. Accordingly, it is difficult to provide a force sense to the five fingertips. In the devices of the type in which a plurality of the force sense providing devices are provided, a device with a large operational space, which provides the force sense to five fingertips of a person, has not been researched or developed.
In the device disclosed in Non-Patent Document 3, wires connected to the fingertips are pulled to provide a force sense to five fingertips. However, in the force sense providing device of Non-Patent Document 3, the force sense that can be provided is only in a single axial direction in which the fingertips are pulled by the corresponding wires. Also, in a device disclosed in Non-Patent Document 4, an arm of a person is equipped with two serial link type force sense providing devices. The two serial link type force sense providing devices are brought into contact with two of the fingertips of the operator such that a three-dimensional force sense is provided to two fingertips.
The devices disclosed in Non-Patent Documents 3 and 4 are wearable force sense providing devices worn by a hand or an arm of a person when used. In this case, since the device that provides a force sense is worn by a hand or an arm of a person, it is difficult to provide a sense of weight of a virtual object to the person. The device gives the person oppression and a sense of weight of the device. Since the device is worn by a hand or an arm, unexpected force may be applied to the operator when the mechanism of the device loses control.
In contrast, in a multi-finger force sense providing device of Patent Document 3, a robot arm and a robot hand are used such that the three-dimensional force sense is provided to the five fingertips of a person. In the multi-finger force sense providing device, the robot hand is provided to face the person. Accordingly, the device is different from the wearable force sense providing device and safe. Further, in the multi-finger force sense providing device of Patent Document 3, a larger operational space is ensured by the movement of the robot arm.